Anzac Day terror teen aims for bail

by dburdon

Daniel BurdonDaniel Burdon is APN Australian Regional Media's Canberra bureau reporter, covering federal parliament and politics. He was previously a rural and general news reporter at the Morning Bulletin in Rockhampton and worked in Alice Springs for the Centralian Advocate.

ONE of the five Australian teenagers allegedly involved in a terrorism plot planned for Anzac Day commemorations in Melbourne will seek bail during court hearings next week.

The 18-year-old Sevdet Besim appeared in court on Friday charged with conspiring to commit a terrorist act after he and four other young men were arrested in raids last weekend.

ABC has reported a law-yer for Besim told the court he would apply for bail during further hearings next week, alongside co-accused Harun Causevic.

Causevic was also charged with planning a terrorist act earlier this week, while another 18-year-old was charged with weapons offences and two others were released pending further police investigations.

The Melbourne hearing came after a 14-year-old boy from the United Kingdom was charged there for allegedly inciting a plot to carry out a beheading and attack a parade in Australia.

The boy from Blackburn in England's north-west was arrested on Thursday night, with UK prosecutors saying he was in contact with Australians regarding the plot.

Some media reports have claimed the domestic terrorism plot included plans to run over a police officer on Anzac Day before killing him with a knife.

It is also understood Australian police were also investigating potential links to Islamic State and its purported Australian figure Neil Prakash, and the group of young men arrested last week.

Friday's court hearing came as Prime Minister Tony Abbott and other political leaders were in Turkey and elsewhere overseas preparing for ceremonies to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli landings.

This week, Mr Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have reached deals in Turkey and Iran to share intelligence on Australians attempting to reach Iraq and Syria to join IS fighters.

Mr Abbott also reached a deal with Turkey for that nation to enforce its borders more stringently to prevent potential fighters gaining passage through what has become a key transit country for IS recruits.